Now, we're looking to chow down on a meal that's just a bit more, well, messy.

Starting today, AL.com, along with The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times and The Mobile Press-Register, will kick off the search for Alabama's Best BBQ Ribs.

In Montgomery and surrounding counties, we've got our share of local joints touting unique seasonings and sauces as well as distinctive cooking techniques that set their barbecue apart from the rest. With that in mind, lets see if we can't bring another "Alabama's Best" title back to the River Region.

To get things going, we're accepting nominations in the comments section below beginning today through 5 p.m. on Monday. Any locally-owned barbecue joints are eligible, as are chains that have their roots in Alabama. Unless there is a particularly strong Alabama connection, though, out-of-state chains will not be considered.

In the event that an Alabama chain finishes in the top two in multiple markets, it will represent only one of those markets in the final 15.

We know that's a whole lot of rules to chew on, but trust us, this is going to be a whole lot of fun, too. Ready to hear how it will work from there?

Based on your comments and suggestions, we will create local polls with 10 or more entries in each of the five areas of the state. Those polls will open at 7 a.m. on Sept. 3 and close at noon on Sept. 9.

From there, we will take the top two favorites in each poll – plus one wildcard selection from each of the five markets – to come up with 15 statewide finalists.

After that, we'll travel across the state and visit each of the 15 places, meet the owners, sample their ribs and try to find out the secrets to their success. At the end of our journey, we'll pick one to win the title of Alabama's Best BBQ Ribs.

But you get to help with that, too. While we're out on the road, we'll also post a statewide poll to determine our Readers' Choice winner, and you'll get to vote. In addition, you'll be able to follow our posts, photos and videos on AL.com, as well as on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.